the india government is proposing new mining policy - nmp 2008.

instead of using the word proposing, it should be called 'india government is bulldozing its new mining policy'. after all when it comes to destructive mining all over india (and world), the indian government basically is proposing destructive policy to facilitate destructive mining.

downtoearth has a very good article on this and some shocking facts from it are,

* nmp -2008 ignores the fact that mining in India is not only about minerals and a simple ‘dig and sell’ proposition, it is about tribals and backward castes and their land and livelihood alienation. It is about poverty, backwardness and Naxalism.
* it is also about deforestation and biodiversity impact, water security and pollution.
* majority of India’s minerals lie beneath its forests. The top 50 mineral-bearing districts alone account for about one-fifth of the forest cover of the country. Some of the most dense and biologically rich forests are in these districts.
* These districts are also tribal-dominated and among the poorest in the country. Eighty per cent of these districts are affected by Naxalism. These districts are where some major rivers originate and flow through.

basically what the ultra capitalist congress led government is proposing is that 'yeah let's open india's crucial forests and throw away the tribals and let the multinational companies mine and mine and mine gleefully'.

welcome folks. welcome to the dastardly concept called 'development' in india. development for the rich and more and more destruction for the ecology and the people who depend on it. the national mineral policy 2008 is a classic case of how bad things have become.